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The volunteers of Musicians On Call's Bedside Performance Program may not have gone through med school, but that doesn't mean they're not healers. In fact, in some cases the responses they're able to elicit from their small hospital-room audiences—a smile on a stress-racked face, a foot moving ever so slightly to the music—are enough to make most doctors jealous.
The concept is as simple as it is unconventional: a volunteer knocks on a hospital door and asks if the room's occupant would like to hear some music. Patients who agree are treated to a brief private concert, a respite from the anxiety and monotony that can characterize even brief hospital stays. These miniature performances are so effective that in its 14 years of existence the organization has garnered support from celebrities across the musical spectrum and has grown to include branches in six cities: New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Through these branches, it's arranged for more than 400,000 patients, family members, and caregivers to rest their minds and recharge their spirits through the power of live music.
Live music, however, isn't the only salve in Musicians On Call's arsenal. Hospitals in all 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico and Ireland, have received comprehensive CD libraries, as well as CD players, as part of the organization's Music Pharmacy program.
NBC Nightly News features MOC from Ebie McFarland on Vimeo.
See how Groupon helps you discover local causes and lend a helping hand to projects big and small at the Groupon Grassroots blog.

An elderly man without access to fresh food, a child whose stomach growls during school, and an unemployed mother all face the same challenge?not knowing where their next meal will come from. This is where City Harvest steps in. This year, City Harvest will collect 50 million pounds of excess food and deliver it to New Yorkers like these. City Harvest gathers good food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms, using a fleet of trucks and bikes to deliver it to distribution points. More than 500 community programs throughout the five boroughs?such as Volunteers of America and St. Luke's Lutheran Church?ensure the food reaches the people who need it most, free of charge. For City Harvest, each pound of food costs just 25 cents to deliver, making it an affordable, efficient way to help feed the nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers who face hunger every year.

As music education declines in schools across the country in response to shrinking budgets, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation fights to keep music in kids' lives by bolstering these programs and raising awareness about the benefits of arts education. The organization equips qualifying schools with the tools necessary to establish a sustainable instrumental-music program, such as a set of band or string instruments, a keyboard or guitar lab, or even a mariachi ensemble. Since its inception, VH1 Save The Music has provided new musical instruments to more than 1,900 public schools in more than 192 school districts across the country, improving academic performance, community pride, and self-esteem for 2.3 million kids.
See how Groupon helps you discover local causes and lend a helping hand to projects big and small at the Groupon Grassroots blog.

This Upper West Side community center offers a wide range of cultural events, educational programs and fitness facilities to like-minded folks in the neighborhood. The Manhattan Jewish Community Center is housed in the Samuel Priest Rose Building on Amsterdam Avenue, and runs eleven stories, with over 137,000 square feet of space. That means an inviting atrium, basement-level performance space and a fitness center complete with a pool – a rarity for New York City. The Laurie M. Tisch Gallery inside hangs an array of exhibits and features accompanying programs, while locals can pick up a season pass to the in-house film center. Classes at the community centers are offered on a wide range of subjects, from printmaking to finance, while swimming lessons, personal training and massages are available in the fitness center.

Sumeshe Maids and Concierges employs bonded and insured cleaners who trek their way through homes, sweeping, dusting, and scrubbing away soil and making order out of chaos. Owned by a busy mother intent on making things easier for others, the cleaning company turns soiled kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms into wholesome areas that sparkle like the teeth of an orthodontist's prized ventriloquist dummy. But cleaning isn't the extent of the staff's expertise; through their concierge service, they'll tackle a plethora of time-consuming tasks, including running errands, making travel arrangements, painting, and organizing household clutter.

Upon arriving at the scene of a fire, the non-profit organization assesses the damage, offers emotional support, and ensures basic needs are met—these services are provided free of charge. Though the American Red Cross relies on a large army of volunteers, resources are needed to train and equip these volunteers with the tools they need to respond to local disasters.